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UMass Institute for Applied Life Sciences

Research and Innovation to Translate Basic Science into Product Candidates Life Sciences

08/10/2021

This summer we have Erin Devine, a Psychology '23 major, working in our Sleep Monitoring facility!

Erin has been wearing multiple hats this summer as the Sleep Lab is conducting multiple studies and she's helping out wherever she can! She's been helping with the IRB process of the new projects, data collection for the ones dying down, and learned how to code/script. "I’m wearing a Fitbit that I’m piloting for the upcoming study, so I’ve learned about my own sleeping patterns. Its not like I’m sitting in a classroom having someone teach me these things, these are real world lessons."

Erin chose the Sleep Monitoring facility because it relates to her major, "it's something that I could consider pursuing for a career. It was a great opportunity that I didn’t think that I should risk missing."

Her favorite spots to study on campus are South College and the 21st floor of Du Bois Library. Grab your textbooks and go find her!

08/09/2021

You're at the hospital and you receive an x-ray of your lungs or an imaging of your muscles. You think to yourself "Good thing they were able to get that together so quick!"

But, there's a method behind preparing these crucial images. Someone codes them into existence. Meet Alex, one of our interns in the Human Magnetic Resource Center. Majoring in Computer Science ‘24 with a minor in business, he is currently studying and performing coding that results in brain scans.

Outside of the lab, you might find him at the gym. Inside, you'll find him developing code for taking audio stimuli and projecting images to patients. These results are then used to help patients - specifically those who have suffered from a stroke.

He's one of the unsung people that make the inner workings of medical work tick - and our team is lucky to have had him on board for the summer!

08/06/2021

Predicting brain patterns sounds complicated. Finding different functional connectivity of brain image processing through different kinds of MRI images IS hard. It takes a committed person to ensure it’s done properly. That person would be Sovesh Mohapatra.

An early interest in computer reason and image processing, along with a pursuant and ambitious triple major in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Linguistics ‘23 set him out on the path that has led to IALS. Being able to combine computing experience for application in a medical field was an opportunity Sovesh couldn't turn down. "Working in a wet lab where you're manipulating liquids, biological matter, and chemicals can be a lot more constraining. This dry lab, focused on computation, offers a lot more freedom. That potential made this internship much more desirable."

So far, the best part of the experience was the first day he got to see how an MRI was done. "The most important thing about data science is seeing how it is gathered," so visualizing that crucial step, in-person nonetheless, has been a valuable experience that is difficult to be mirrored elsewhere.

08/05/2021

Here is a little bit of what you missed in our Core Facilities Seminar Series.

Want to watch the whole ADDFab seminar from August 25, 2020? To hear more from the Director, David Follette, and his guest Meghan Huber from the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, check it out here: https://www.umass.edu/ials/core-facilities-seminar-series

08/04/2021

Say hi to Hannah, our CSI Flow Cytometry & Animal Imaging intern!

Hannah is a Biology '23 major who has been getting hands on experience within the Core. Since the time she began, the facility has received two new instruments so she's gotten the chance to prep and get trained on the them. Hannah has also been using the instruments to look at endothelial microparticles, running plates and processing data!

Coming in, Hannah had never been exposed to the actual processes of Flow Cytometry but has been able to see how samples are processed, how the machines are maintained, and learn about different labs projects, what they’re doing, and why they’re using Flow Cytometry to improve their studies. "I think Flow Cytometry can be used for a wide range of different things so I think its essential skills I’ll be able to have."

"You’d be missing out if you didn’t apply. Working in this internship has definitely has opened my eyes to other areas of science and research that I had no knowledge of previously."

Hannah's favorite restaurant in Amherst is Antonio's and after a full day of looking at endothelial microparticles, we couldn't think of any place we'd rather be!

08/02/2021

We have another CSI Intern coming your way!

Annie is a Nursing '22 major working in the CH2P facility this summer.
She is working with another familiar face from the same facility, Meghan Maratea, on the Ames project. Together they clean, pack, and deliver sensors to participants going through menopause. Annie then gets to review and analyze data from the wonderful women she gets to work with.

Although Annie is a Nursing major with a background in clinical applications, this internship has given her a new perspective. "Joining this lab, I was exposed to the pre-clinical side of research. I see the 'before' of what I end up seeing in the hospital." This summer is all about new perspectives for her, learning about pre-clinical research and the CH2P facility as a whole.

"This internship has shown me that being a RN in research is definitely a possibility for the future, as having a healthcare background contributes real value to pre-clinical research. Healthcare is always improving, and being involved in the research associated with these developments is something I am very interested in pursuing."

Annie has missed the social aspect of being on campus, so if you see her in the dining hall or grabbing a coffee, give her a wave.

07/30/2021

Instagram, we'd like you to meet Laura! She's a Chemistry '22 major working in our Roll-to-Roll facility as a Core Summer Intern.

Her team is working on creating an eyelid sensor that can determine brain activity for people under anesthesia. While making this printed sensor, Laura has been testing different conductive inks to create a print that is conductive from one face to the other.

While working with companies through the facility, she has seen the difference between how things run in academia versus how they run in a business. "All my experience so far has been in lab courses where things pretty much always go the way they’re supposed to and you have a set procedure. But here things don’t always work the way they’re supposed to. So just seeing how all of that works, in a real life setting, to actually make something new has been a very eye-opening experience for me."

“Working in the Roll to Roll facility enhanced my interest in materials science. I was thinking about pursuing more of a materials science track last semester and my experience this summer has solidified that. I am still a chemistry major and I hope to use chemistry in my future career, but with a materials science aspect to it.”

When she's not working with conductive inks, Laura likes to get creative by drawing and painting. The one thing she can't live without is art supplies and we can't wait to see what she creates in and outside of the lab! Swipe to see some of her work!

07/27/2021

Meet Meghan, the first of our 2021 Core Summer Interns!

Meghan is a Kinesiology major working in the CH2P facility. She is working on the Ames project which uses artificial intelligence to investigate menopausal symptoms. Her typical day at the labs is occupied by sanitizing and dropping off monitors to the participants, providing instructions over Zoom calls, and analyzing the data for any patterns.

This is her first time working in research and she loves getting to connect directly with the participants. "I’ve learned a lot about human research practices because we have to make sure we’re communicating what we’re doing with them in a way that they’re going to understand and in a way they’re going to be comfortable with."

“Ultimately, after completing my degree at UMass I plan on attending PA school. However, during the gap year/s in between, I have always been unsure about what area of science and healthcare I would like to pursue. After my experience so far in this internship, I could definitely see myself getting involved in human health research after undergrad, and I think it could be really interesting to explore more of the field!”

After a long day at the labs, Meghan loves to go for a run around campus. Especially after a day in front of the computers working with data. If you happen to see her on a run, tell her we say hi!

07/09/2021

Here is a little bit of what you missed in our Core Facilities Seminar Series.
Want to watch the whole CORUM seminar from September 8, 2020? To hear more from the Core Facilities Director, Andrew Vinard, and his guest Bob Stevens, IALS Systems Administrator, head to the link here: https://www.umass.edu/ials/core-facilities-seminar-series

07/07/2021

Here is a little bit of what you missed in our Core Facilities Seminar Series.

Want to watch the whole CT and Optical Imaging seminar from September 22, 2020? To hear more from the Director, Amy Burnside, and her guest Sarah Guyette, Field Application Scientist at PerkinElmer , head to the link here: https://www.umass.edu/ials/core-facilities-seminar-series

07/02/2021

Here is a little bit of what you missed in our Core Facilities Seminar Series.

Want to watch the whole Mass Spectrometry seminar from November 17, 2020? To hear more from the Director, Lizz Bartlett, and her guest Lake Paul, President and Founder of BioAnalysis, LLC, head to our website here: https://www.umass.edu/ials/core-facilities-seminar-series

06/25/2021

Here is a little bit of what you missed in our Core Facilities Seminar Series.
Want to watch the whole Raman, IR, XFR Spectrocopy seminar from November 3, 2020? To hear more from the Director, Lili He, head to the link here: https://www.umass.edu/ials/core-facilities-seminar-series

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